The important and age-old Bridge River Fishing Grounds, known as Sxetl in the St'at'imcets language and also known locally as Six Mile Rapids, are on the reserves of the Bridge River Band and their original "modern" post-Contact rancherie is on the bench above the fishing grounds, which are also known as the Lower Fountain or Lower Fountains and which lie at the junction of the Bridge and Fraser Rivers. Other St'at'imc governments include the smaller In-SHUCK-ch Nation on the lower Lillooet River to the southwest, and the independent N'quatqua First Nation at the farther end of Anderson Lake from Seton Portage, which is the location of three of the reserve communities of the Seton Lake First Nation, another member of the Lillooet Tribal Council.
Name
Nxwísten or Xwisten is the name of the Bridge River in the St'at'imcets language. Early documents and before formalized St'at'imcets spelling was defined various spellings were used Nxo'isten, Hoystein, and more recently 'Xwisten. The band's official website uses a variant of the proper St'at'imcets name Nxwísten in its domain name.
History
The Bridge River Reserves are some of the largest by area in British Columbia, and date from the days of the chief of the Bridge River people's licensing and taxing of hydraulic miners on the Bridge River in the 1870s and 1880s, and one of the few cases where the wishes of the local chief went unopposed by land claims commissioner Peter O'Reilly. The mining activity, which washed away at the river's steep, sandy banks with huge hoses and scoured the riverbed, hurt the salmon runs in the river, and these were further damaged and virtually wiped out by the construction of the Bridge River Power Project in the 1940s and 1950s. The Xwisten people are one of the three reserve communities which directly surrounding Lillooet and many of their community have had an important role in the history of the native political movements in BC.
Chief and Councillors
Chief Susan James 11/2015–Present Chief Billy Michelle 1969-1989
Indian Reserves
under the administration of the Bridge River Band are:
Bridge River Indian Reserve No. 1 - on both sides of the Bridge River upstream from the confluence to Antoine Creek, c. 14 miles, 3845.50 ha.
Bridge River Indian Reserve No. 2 - on the right bank of the Fraser River about 4 miles upstream/north of Fountain, 56.70 ha.
Lillooet Indian Reserve No. 1A - on the right bank of the Fraser River one mile northwest of the town of Lillooet, 797.20 ha.
Treaty Process
History
Demographics
Economic Development
Social, Educational and Cultural Programs and Facilities
